INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Florida Tech 72, Tampa 74 OT
Records: Florida Tech (11-12, 5-13 SSC), Tampa (15-8, 11-7 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Center | Tampa, Fla.
 
FIRST HALF:

• An early 8-0 run helped Tampa jump out to a 12-4 lead with 14:27 left in the first. 
• Threes by Sean Houpt and Sesan Russell cut the Spartans' lead to 14-11 with 12:49 to go. 
• Tampa ensued on a 14-4 run to build its advantage to 28-15 with 9:29 remaining in the first. 
• Five straight points by Elias Martin cut the margin to 36-27 with 2:40 left.
• Teams exchanged baskets the rest of the half and the Panthers went into halftime trailing 41-27. 

 
SECOND HALF:

• Spartans built their lead to 16, 43-27, early in the second half.
• Panthers went on a 9-0 run later in the half to cut the margin to 47-43 on a three by Russell off an assist by Houpt with 11:18 to go. 
• Tampa grew its lead back to double-digits, 56-46, with 9:14 left. 
• Tech answered with a 12-0 run, capped by a layup by Houpt, to go up 58-56 and take its first lead of the game since the 18:47 mark of the first half. 
• Sam Grant drained a three to put Tech up 66-60 with 2:58 remaining. 
• Spartans responded with a 7-0 run to go up 68-64 with 1:16 to go. 
• Back-to-back layups by Russell in the final minute tied the score at 68 and sent the game to overtime. 

 
OVERTIME:

• Grant hit a layup to put Tech up 70-68 with 2:55 left in overtime. 
• After Tampa tied it at 70, Runako Ziegler slammed home a one-handed dunk off an assist from Russell to give the Panthers a 72-70 lead with 2:01 to go. 
• Spartans tied the game at 72 on a pair of free throws with 1:46 remaining. 
• Tech had a chance to go up with 20 seconds to go but Russell's layup was blocked and Tampa got the rebound. 
• Max Jones scored the winning basket with 0.8 seconds remaining to give the Spartans the 74-72 lead. 
• Panthers were not able to get the shot off at the buzzer and Tampa escaped with the 2-point win. 

 
 NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Sesan Russell just missed a double-double with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal on 9-24 shooting and 6-6 on free throws
• Sean Houpt recorded 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals on 8-18 shooting, including 4-11 from three.
• Runako Ziegler finished with 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal
• Sam Grant had 5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks on 2-6 shooting

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech made 34.2% (25-73) of its shots in the game, including 24.1% (7-29) from three and 75% (15-20) on free throws.
• Tampa shot 37% (27-73) from the field, 34.6% (9-26) from three and 64.7% (11-17) at the free throw line. 
• Tech won the rebounding battle 52-49.
• Panthers finished with more points off turnovers (13-11) and points in the paint (28-26).
• Tampa ended with more second chance points (17-10), fast break points (12-5) and bench points (28-10).

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech is back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 23, hosting Palm Beach Atlantic at the Clemente Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men's basketball team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.